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Go Tsididi Thata…

(I wrote this last week. I’ll post an updated COLD blog soon…things change, sometimes for the worse)

This morning I woke up freezing. Actually, I spent most of the night waking up and shivering, and now I admit defeat. I need to dig out my other blanket, and move my bed away from the drafty window, which was so nice in the summer.

It is cold. No other way to describe it! I saw my breath today, which tells me winter is here without a doubt. My feet are in a constant state of chilled-ness, and I really need to pop out the R50 for slippers. Scarves, fleeces, and long-johns are my new best friends, as in my sock monkey hat. I’ve kinda been in denial about winter here, but I can’t ignore the truth any longer. I even used my heater this morning, and it was wonderful.

I came to SA last winter, and in the dead of winter at that. But, I was in a more…civilized, urban, not God-forsaken place. Now I’m on the edge of the Kalahari, where there is absolutely nothing to stop the wind. Not even my concrete walls. Apparently it is common for stone/concrete houses to collapse in the winter because they are built too poorly for the wind. Don’t worry, I actually live in a nicely built home, and though drafty, it won’t collapse. A lot of houses here are built from mud, gathered stones, maybe a bit of cement, or simply pieces of corregated metal stuck together. Those “houses” cannot withstand the winter winds. And eish, these winds are too strong! Phefo ya foka thata mo motse wa me!

It does still warm up some during the day, but not always a whole lot. The sun is the key. Yesterday was an overcast day, so it never got truly warm outside. Today is much sunnier, so it has warmed up a fair amount. But still, nighttime is awful!